First, how do you get web broadcasts displayed on your TV? Second, is it possible to “record” a web broadcast? I am thinking of a sports broadcast on the web that is not available on regular cable. But I want to treat the computer like a DVR. In particular, I want to schedule recordings. Is this possible?
To stream to the TV, you can use something like a Roku or a Playstation/Xbox/GoogleTV/AppleTV. Or just run a HDMI, VGA, or DVI cable from your computer to your TV if it supports that.
Not sure about the recording.
Applian sells software that can record video and audio from the web. I think you will find you can schedule recordings of streaming audio and video. I have been using one of their older (now discontinued) products to record streaming audio (and occasionally video) for quite a few years now, and have found it very useful. Hopefully, their current version also works.
I think there are are other companies that make similar software. Possibly there is even some free stuff availalble to do this somewhere.
As Reply says, the best and cheapest way to display web video on your TV will depend on your setup, and, especially, on your TV. I do this with a simple HDMI cable, since both my TV and my computer have ports for HDMI. This costs just a few bucks, is simple to set up (plug in the cable and you are done), and does not require any special software. I think most modern TVs and computers support HDMI, but there are also several other ways to achieve what you want.
If your PC/laptop only has a VGA out (no HDMI) then you can use one of these. Just make sure your TV has an audio input (1/8" stereo jack) for its VGA input (older TVs may not) and make sure you plug the computer side audio cable into the LINE OUT, not the headphone jack! It’s 25 feet and only $13.
[Chromecast](Amazon.com 1&keywords=chromecast) would be another option for getting the content to the TV.